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RGI Overview
Established in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990, Reproductive Genetics Institute (RGI) is internationally renowned for its contribution to fertility treatments, such as IVF, as well as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and prenatal diagnosis. RGI has been the driving force behind the development of PGD since the early 1980s, when the procedure was in its early stage of development. Each of our staff is highly accomplished in the fields involved in PGD, such as assisted reproduction, embryology, genetic counseling and molecular/medical genetics. With this team of skillful experts, we can provide the highest level of accuracy and success to our patients in need of PGD or prenatal diagnosis.
To ensure better access to state of the art medical techniques, RGI has developed a network of international locations and affiliate centers, ranging from Cyprus to London. Because of our expertise and international reach, RGI routinely interacts with patients from all over the world, giving us broader perspective and cultural sensitivity that is crucial in approaching the complicated subject of genetic and prenatal diagnoses. Whether you need PGD to avoid a genetic disorder in your children or highly complex fertility treatments, you will find RGI’s vast expertise and professionalism effective and reassuring.
In addition, RGI has a close partnership with StemRide International, a leading provider of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) for medical and genetic research. RGI developed a novel technique to derive ESCs from human embryos at the morula stage, which provided the basis for StemRide Internaional’s existing lines of hESCs.
PGD
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is a diagnosis of genetic conditions prior to pregnancy. Unlike prenatal diagnosis, which is performed after a pregnancy is ongoing, PGD screens the pre-implantation stage embryos for genetic disorders. Embryos are created through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), and after PGD, only the embryos of normal genetic makeup are transferred to the uterus. At RGI, we have been performing thousands of PGD since the technology became clinically available in 1990.
PGD can significantly reduce the risk for your baby to be affected by specific genetic conditions. Some families request PGD for genetic conditions running in their family, such as Tay Sachs disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Fragile X syndrome. Other couples request PGD for chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, trisomy 18, trisomy 13 and Turner syndrome. Detection of chromosomal abnormalities can also reduce the risk of miscarriages.
PGD is performed through one of two ways: polar body analysis or embryo biopsy. In polar body analysis, polar bodies (parts of the oocyte that are naturally discarded during oocyte maturation and fertilization) are tested for specific genetic diseases. By polar body analysis, a geneticist can determine whether the woman’s oocytes carry the genes that cause the genetic diseases, as well as whether the oocytes have any chromosomal abnormalities.
The other method, embryo biopsy (also known as blastomere biopsy) involves careful removal of one or two cells from 6- to 8-cell stage embryos. At this early stage of embryo development, all of the cells have the same potential for development. Therefore, the removal of one or two cells should not negatively affect the development of a healthy embryo. PGD is offered to couples that are at a high risk of producing offspring with genetic disorders and to those who wish to avoid the termination of an affected fetus following prenatal diagnosis.
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Infertility
RGI offers a full range of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), whether for the treatment of infertility or to perform preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). RGI’s embryology staff is highly skilled in microsurgical procedures involved in assisted reproduction, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI, which assists sperm to fertilize the egg), assisted zona hatching (AZH, which increases the chance of embryo implantation), among others. Our IVF laboratory can culture the embryo to Day-5 (blastocyst) stage, which allows us to identify the healthiest embryos and avoid the elevated risk of multiple pregnancies. Excess embryos can be cryopreserved for future use. We also work with couples with special needs, such as oocyte donation and sperm donation.
RGI has a combination of medical geneticists, molecular biologists, cytogeneticists and research scientists working together with infertility specialists. This is an ideal combination of specialists because many IVF patients with advanced maternal age often have a higher risk of conceiving babies with chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. With our team of experts, RGI has performed over 2500 PGD cycles for aneuploidy since 1994. The benefit of such testing is difficult to dispute, which results in the higher efficiency of IVF procedures, and even more important, should eliminate concern for ending a pregnancy which may be affected by age-related chromosomal abnormalities.
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Stem Cells
RGI collaborates closely with StemRide International, world’s leading provider of human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs). RGI donates the embryos to StemRide, from patients who wish to donate their excess embryos for research. StemRide currently offers over 120 lines of normal hESCs, as well as about 30 hESCs carrying genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. These lines will play an important role in studies of genetic disorders mechanisms through generating the sources of normal and genetically abnormal cells and tissues.
StemRide’s lines of hESCs were derived from blastocysts and morulae. RGI developed an original technique generating hESC lines from human embryos at the morula stage, which were shown to meet the NIH criteria. To derive hESC lines from morulae, the zona pellucida is removed and the morula is placed under a middle density feeder layer. Within several days, cells outgrow and spread into the feeder layer. The primary cell disaggregation is performed with EDTA or EGTA, and the loose cells are transferred back to the feeder layer to proliferate. Fast proliferating colonies are isolated and propagated further.
These hESCs are available for medical research through StemRide International.
CONTACT US to learn more about our Stem Cell program.